


Through Hell and Highwater

by SuperPancake



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-13
Updated: 2017-12-10
Packaged: 2019-02-01 19:23:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12711360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperPancake/pseuds/SuperPancake
Summary: AU where Ruby, a blacksmith, and Blake, a bounty hunter go on a mission to collect some serious money to save Yang's life from a mysterious illness.But of course, things just can't stay simple, can it?





	1. The Dying Flame

**Author's Note:**

> I suck at summaries but I had this idea for a story after waking up from an intense dream. (Seriously man I was bein' hunted like a deer. Tho I guess bad dreams can also be a source of inspiration.) I've mapped it out and got the first chapter written up. I have the ideas on how I want this to go. I just hope I can do it justice.

Rays of light were shining bright on the outskirts of The Kingdom of Vale, effectively heating up the earth’s surface and brining warmth to all the residents. Snow was slowly melting away and dropping off trees, making the ground soft and soggy.

A pair of boots sloshed their way up to a small house with a tower of smoke billowing behind it. The door creaked open and the pair of cat ears perked up at the sound of metal striking metal. Slowly, they made their way through the house, passing a mirror that reflected long black hair, a long trench coat with two coat tails splitting the middle, and most importantly the Grimm mask that shadowed her face. The woman was beautiful as she was deadly, if that weapon strapped to her back had anything to say on the matter. Without a sound she opened the metal door into an indoor/outdoor workshop. The reason for the smoke came from a whirring furnace filled with flames. The constant banging of metal against metal was beginning to grate on her sensitive ears.

Amber eyes from beneath the mask watched the figure before her. A young woman with rich dark hair that was either natural, or dyed red at the tips slaved away. She wore a red flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, an apron that shielded her from the bits of molten metal that cracked off with each hit, thick gloves to protect her from the heat, goggles that held back the burning flames and bright light, black pants that cut off below the knees, black boots with red details, but most importantly, a long red cape hung from her shoulders. Sweat rolled down her arms and face, but she didn't seem to mind. She was too focused on crafting some kind of new weapon. And that's exactly what this masked woman was counting on. Quietly, she crept up behind the busy blacksmith and took in a steadying breath before;

 

"Boo."

 

A loud shriek and the clamor of metal pierced the ears of everyone within a 5 mile radius of the house. Then what was followed by;

"Blake!! I hate it when you do that!"

The young blacksmith whined.

"I could have seriously burned you! Or myself! Or both of us!"

"Hey, Ruby." Came the monotonous voice of Blake but with an added grin, not caring about this 'danger.'

"Now I have to re temper this thing all over again." Ruby sighed, taking the piece of metal and hanging it on a rack with other unfinished projects.

She turned to face Blake with a frown.

"I'm guessing you're here to see her?"

Blake's grin softened into a sad smile.

"Yeah, how is Yang?" She asked carefully.

Taking a cloth out of her apron Ruby swiped it across her forehead and face.

"Still sick. But she says she's getting better." She explained while putting the cloth back and removing her protective equipment. She walked around her worktable, her bottom half showing off an artificial leg from the knee down. Ruby then led Blake back into the inside section of the house and down a hallway. They reached the room farthest down and knocked softly before entering.

"Yang?" Ruby asked.

There was a low groan to signal that the occupant was awake, followed by a thick and heavy cough. Ruby quickly disappeared back down the hall, leaving Blake to walk in.

"Hey, Yang." Blake's soft voice was directed at the mass of golden hair that shifted beneath some blankets, then turned to meet her eyes. Instead of her vibrant bright lilac, they seemed washed out, distant and weak, but the smile on her face told Blake that she was still fighting strong.

"Hey..Kit-Kat." Yang croaked.

Blake pulled over a stool and sat by Yang's bedside.

"You look like shit." She mused.

A weak laugh escapes dry lips.

"What happens when...you've been pretty sick for five months."

Yang reached over and removed the mask from Blake's face, revealing pinched brows and worried eyes with a matching frown.

"Don't worry so much. I'll be fine. Ruby's found a doctor that's agreed to see me. Some old dude from Atlas..." Yang paused to catch her breath, panting heavily like simply breathing was the worlds hardest chore. She winced as she sucked in air.

"Only catch is..." she continued.

"Is that we gotta pay a lot of money. More than what we have." A pained chuckle followed.

"Way more.."

Blake's frown deepened. This miserable sack of sickness and coughs used to be so full of life, adventure, optimism and puns. Now she was just a bedridden fool who was wasting away, waiting for a miracle, or death to save her from her suffering.

A cat ear swiveled at the sound of footsteps.

Then a presence was standing right next to her.

"Here, Yang." Ruby reached out to place a cold glass of water in trembling hands.

The glass slipped from her weak grip, but before it could totally leave her hand, Blake caught the bottom of the glass.

Yang smiled.

"Cat like reflexes."

Blake just rolled her eyes with a small smile. She helped Yang sit up slightly and guided the glass to her lips.

Once finished Yang was set back down in her cocoon of blankets and stuffed animals, heavy eyelids drooped as a signal to their little visit ending.

"..Thanks guys." Yang whispered before her eyelids fell shut and sleep took over.

The red and black pair looked at each other and sighed.

* * *

 

Softly, the door clicked shut and Ruby walked into the kitchen.

"How's your missions as a single bounty hunter been?" She asked.

"Difficult now that I don't have Yang. She's always been the more charismatic one. For her it was easy to talk to people and get information that we needed. I don't have the same charm as her. So getting information by myself has been...exhausting." Blake sighed.

Ruby leaned forward on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, it's been hard around here too. She used to load up all of my metals and tools into the shop when they came and even helped me weld and solder things together. My cooking doesn't taste as good, sometimes I forget to add soap when washing clothes, but worst of all is the lack of income." She sighed heavily. "I make a decent amount from designing and crafting weapons, but nowhere near the amount this doctor is charging to visit Yang. Yet, he’s the only one that’s agreed to see her. When I tell doctors about Yang’s condition they just tell me there’s nothing they can do. So, I'm terrified by the time I get that kind of money it will be too late...I don't want to lose my sister, Blake." Ruby's voice trembled slightly, and her silver eyes glistened with unshed tears. Her head fell into her hands.

Ruby was shouldering many burdens she used to share with Yang. Ruby's body was built for speed. She didn't have the broad shoulders and muscles her sister did. She could only take so many hits before it really started to hurt.

Yang was built tough inside and out.

She could take hit after hit and retaliate ten-fold. She was built to help carry the struggles of her family and friends, and look absolutely badass doing it. Yang was really the only family Ruby had left. Summer had died when both girls were very young. Qrow had disappeared years ago, only thing they found left of him was his sword, bloodied and chipped. The death of Taiyang had hit them hardest the most. Not only was a third source of income gone, but so was all the love only a caring father could give. It took a while before either of the two girls to come out and socialize again. Ruby supposed Raven was family by ties to her father and Yang. Raven never came around though. It was just the two sisters there to look out and care for each other like they always had been. So Ruby could absolutely not lose Yang too.

A soft voice cut through the silence.

"A friend gave me a tip on a generously priced bounty. It should be more than enough to get Yang the help she needs. If you help I'll give you my earnings as well. I care for her too." Blake offered.

Ruby looked up and eyed Blake questionably.

"What is it we'll be hunting?" She asked.

Blake fixed her mask back over her eyes and smiled.

"A runaway princess."


	2. Bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby and Blake spend a few moments with Yang before they set out.

The following morning was filled with the sound of pans and dinner plates clinking together. Ruby was fast at work preparing breakfast for herself and Yang. Eggs cracked effortlessly against the rim of the pan, then sizzled once the yolk met heat. With a quick flip, some pancakes, the most holy, divine, and best of breakfast foods, were warming to fluffy perfection. Meanwhile, the toaster ticked away, counting down the seconds until the toast popped up.

The front door opened and Blake walked in, the mask still ever present on her face. A delightful hum alerted Ruby to the close proximity of her friend.

"Smells good." Blake praised.

This made a smile spread across Ruby's lips.

"Thanks. I've already heated water for your tea." Ruby gestured to the kettle with a nod of her head.

"Ruby, if I didn't love your sister so much I'd maybe consider taking you out on a date." She removed her mask and set it on the counter before fetching a mug for her tea.

"Pfftt. As fun as that sounds I think Yang would hunt the both of us down. She's crazy for you." Ruby said.

A warm, dreamy smile graced Blake's features as she looked down into her freshly brewed beverage.

"Yeah."

"Speaking of!" Ruby chirped.

"Can you take this to her?" She slid a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and pancakes to Blake.

"She won't eat it all. Probably not even half of it. But I think it makes her feel better looking at a normal meal. I'm gonna eat and get changed, then we can talk about this assignment and go."

Blake nodded before taking a careful sip of her tea, then grabbed the plate and disappeared into Yang's room.

"Yang?" She called.

"Breakfast."

As the lump of blankets stirred to life, the faunus woman took a seat on the stool beside Yang's bed. By the time Yang had sat up, Blake was halfway finished with her tea. She patiently waited for Yang to get her bearings before handing her the plate of food.

"Good morning." Blake smiled at her.

"G'mornin'" Yang said around a mouth full of eggs and pancakes. Even if she was sick and weak, she was starving...for just a few bites that is. Shaky hands set the plate on the bedside table next to her before she slumped against the headboard.

Blake frowned, set her tea aside, and speared some pancakes with the fork.

"Come on. You need to eat a little more than that." She lifted the fork to Yangs lips.

Said lips smiled tiredly as faded lilac met amber.

"Well I guess it would be rude to turn down a beautiful woman feeding me breakfast in bed.~" she said as smoothly as she could before taking a bite and winking at her partner.

The frown that had appeared on Blake's face quickly dissipated. Leave it to Yang to still try and flirt with her even as she was lying on her death bed.

"Right." Blake drawled, continuing to feed her patient.

Yang had managed to eat a little more than half of the food Ruby prepared then retreated back under the covers. She was still exhausted. Her muscles ached and her head always felt like it was ready to explode. She could feel her blood pulsing in her ears, which did absolutely nothing to soothe her throbbing headache. Yang was always warmer than most, but even by her standards this was downright uncomfortable. Yet she shook like she was cold. If Yang were being honest, sometimes she felt so bad she just wanted whatever this illness was to take her and leave her at peace. She knew Ruby and Blake loved her dearly, but she hated them waiting hand and foot on her. If the roles were reversed she knew that Ruby would _never_ be a burden to her. So she was silly to think that she was. Though that didn’t stop the thoughts that slowly ate away at her each night.

Sensing her partner’s discomfort, Blake reached over to run a soothing hand through a tangled mess of blonde hair.

"We're gonna get you help. Ruby and I are taking a job. It should give us enough to get a doctor here." She sighed.

"Yeah..Ruby told me last night. Take care of her Blake..she's not as fast as she used to be. Make sure she's not eating only cookies and sweets for dinner, if her leg acts up take a moment to rest, and-"

"Yang." Blake cut her off.

"We're going to be fine."

She leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead and pulled back with a warm smile.

"Don't worry so much."

Yang just smiled then closed her eyes.

"Okay."

With a nod, Blake gathered up the plate and her mug before exiting. Upon returning to the kitchen she was greeted by two familiar faces sitting at the table.

"Ren." She nodded in greeting.

"Nora." The gesture was repeated.

"Blaaaafe!" Was a muffled cry from a mouth packed with pancakes. Nora swallowed thickly and beat her fist against her chest. She took a deep breath before smiling brightly.

"Blake! Oh wow! You and Ruby really are taking a job! This is so exciting! With you two Yang should get better in no time!!"

Ren placed a hand on Nora's shoulder.

"We wish her a speedy recovery once she gets the treatment she needs." He said calmly.

"I asked Ren and Nora to help take care of Yang while we're gone." A regular clothed Ruby spoke up. She stood and walked past Blake, who was disposing of the leftover food.

"I'm gonna go see her before we leave." She called over her shoulder as she walked down the hall. Leaving Yang wasn't something she really wanted to do. But she knew this was the only shot they had at saving Yang's life. They hadn't been separated for long since they were born. So she felt like she was leaving a huge part of herself here. It just..was an uncomfortable feeling. Ruby entered her sister’s room and stopped at the foot of the bed.

"Hey, Yang. We'll be leaving soon. I wanted to come and see you before I left..soooo..yeaaaah." Ruby trailed off awkwardly. She was never one for goodbyes. Especially this one.

"C'mere you goof.." Yang opened up the blankets and Ruby quickly snuggled her way up to her sister. She wasn't worried about getting sick. She would have gotten it by now if it was contagious. A warm arm wrapped around Ruby loosely.

"We're going to come back, Yang. We're going to do this job, get the money, come back, and you're going to get better. I'll help you through your recovery and we can train like we used to. I'll even let you kick my butt the first few times. You know...before you can actually start to kick my butt again." Ruby grumbled the last part. She felt a hand ruffle her hair, and the quick rise and fall of Yang's chest in a silent chuckle.

"I know you are Rubes. You're gonna kick major butt. You might even show Blakey a thing or two. Just..come back in one piece okay? Or well...what's left of ya." She grinned as her foot tapped Ruby's metal leg.

Ruby just snorted and hugged Yang close.

"Will do." She smiled. Ruby cuddled a little closer to her sister for comfort. She was very very worried that something along the way could go freakishly wrong and put a stop to their plans. Things had to go smoothly to ensure a safe return and a pocket full of silver carded hope. Ruby trusted her own abilities and trusted Blake’s word that they would score a considerable sum. I mean, if the daughter is a princess she was sure the father or some loved one would pay a hefty sum to get her back. Despite her worries though, she knew she had to go. Things were going to work out. Things were going to be okay.

…Right?

Warm fingers started to thread through her dark hair, soothing her nervous mind. Even if Yang was hurting herself she still did her best to comfort her baby sister. They had each other’s backs, through good times and bad. Ruby found herself leaning into the touch and closing her eyes.

"I love you." Ruby murmured into her sister’s side.

"Yeah.” Yang squeezed Ruby as best as she could.

“I love you too sis."

\---------

Blake softly knocked on the door. Upon hearing no response she turned the knob and stepped in only to find the two sisters fast asleep snuggled up next to each other. Feeling like she was intruding on a personal family moment, she just smiled at the sight before silently stepping back and closing the door.

She supposed they could leave in a few more minutes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ....Whoever says Animal Crossing is a chill game is a LIAR.  
>  ACNL Puzzle League has absolutely NO CHILL. >:c


	3. Little Secrets and Life Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake hasn't been as open and honest about things she should have been.

It was fucking freezing.

"W-why are we all the way i-i-in Atlas!?" Ruby cried through her chattering teeth. She pulled the fur lined hood to her red fleece parka over her head, trying to bring back warmth to her ears.

"I told you. It's where this girl is from. We collect information here and then we track her down." Blake's voice never wobbled like Ruby's. She was perfectly warm in her thick black wool coat. Her ears were just as warm too, a pair of earmuffs and her bow helped trap heat.

"Well I'd run away from this place too if it's this cold all the time!" She emphasized her point with an audible shiver.

Blake just rolled her eyes and kept walking down the streets of Atlas. The pair definitely stuck out, especially because one of the two were lugging a huge sniper scythe strapped to her belt. Blake didn't feel too comfortable with all of the stares her way, whereas Ruby didn't seem to care. Blake chalked that up to Ruby having to get used to stares at her leg.

She was just thankful for the mask that separated her from them.

Blake had a slight distrust of Atlesian folk. Most of them acted like they were from royalty themselves. The rest just treated others like dirt. So it only made sense in this kingdom they treated Faunus lower than dirt. Of course they were all just following their glorious King. And it made Blake wonder why the hell she was trying to find the most likely stuck up, self-centered, whiny princess in the first place. That is, until she remembered Yang, and another reason..

"Blake!" Ruby called, snapping her out of her thoughts. 

"Yes?" Came the rushed reply.

"I said we should probably split up and ask around if they've seen this mysterious princess." Ruby stepped next to the faunus woman while re adjusting her travel pack.

"I'll start on this side of the town. Then I'll meet you back here once I'm done." Silver eyes glanced over at Blake, who nodded in response.

 

_It took hours, many many long frostbite inducing hours._

 

The sun was just starting to set over the horizon when the two met up again, making the temperature already start to plummet. Ruby dragged herself over to where Blake was standing, then promptly threw herself on the ground. "Uuuhg why is talking to people so exhausting." She whined.

Thankful to have a partner that finally understands, she smiled. "Ruby get up. I brought you hot chocolate."

It was almost scary how fast Ruby popped up and took the offered beverage. She thought Yang was just joking when she told stories of how serious Ruby was when it came to treats. Now she knew better. Not much one for sweets herself, Blake opted for a nice warm cup of tea. Though if she sprinkled a little bit of cat nip in there then...that was just an added bonus.

"Did you find anything?" She asked before taking a careful sip.

Ruby licked her lips clean of whipped cream before responding. "Sort of! No one would tell me her name. When I ask for it people got freaked out and tell me they can't. She's got long white hair though, last seen wearing a blue dress and carrying some kind of weapon. I'm guessing she knows how to fight then." She took another swig of her drink, humming in bliss as the chocolate warm liquid heated her from the inside out. She pulled the cup away. "So we should be careful when approaching her."

Amber eyes looked down into her drink. "I found it strange that no one would mention her name. I even asked some of the Faunus workers. Only thing someone told me was he heard a lot of shouting coming from the castle as he was unloading supplies into their home. That it sounded serious. But more importantly. A shopkeeper had pointed in the direction he saw her take off last. Looked like he was pointing toward Haven."

A frown was quick to form on Ruby's features. "We need to hurry then. Haven is like a fortress! Getting in will be almost impossible without certain clearance or money to bribe with. There are only a few cities along the way she could have stopped at. Tracking her from here should be easy enough. I think. Right?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"Right. We'll find her. Now let's get going before it gets too dark." Blake suggested, tugging her coat closer to her as she walked off.

 

* * *

 

The two made it far outside the city before setting up camp for the night. It wasn't ideal to camp out in the cold, but they needed to start hauling ass to play catch up. Ruby quickly woke up a fire to warm their cold and tired bodies, then started cooking. She pulled out a pack of fresh cut meat and began spearing them onto wooden steaks. Then placed them onto the campfire cookware she brought. "Got this back in the city. I figured we can at least eat something decent if we had got any information today." She smiled to herself. "Small victories!!" She cheered.

"Smart. Though Yang would have just punched a bear in the face and we'd have that. Maybe even use the skin as a blanket." Blake chuckled, staring down at her scroll and typing away what they had gathered so far.

Silver eyes gazed into the fire. Ruby definitely missed Yang, even if it had only been two days since they left. So she pulled out her own scroll and typed out a quick message to Nora, then got back to skewing the meat.

At the unusual silence from the usually lively Ruby, Blake realized what she had said and quickly put her scroll down.

"Oh, Ruby, I'm sorry. I'm sure she's okay. Ren is smart, and Nora cares deeply for her friends. She's being well taken care of right now." She reassured.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I know. I'm just worried about her." She poked the fire with a stick. "So about the mission." She started, wanting to distract herself from the previous conversation. "We don't have to hurt her or anything do we? I know I still hunt sometimes but.." chewing her bottom lip in thought she turned the meat over. "I don't want to kill anyone."

This didn't surprise Blake in the slightest. Ruby was as true as they come. Her heart was warm and full of compassion towards other people. When it came to helping others she always had only the best intentions in mind. It even showed in her craft for making weapons and tools. Sometimes individuals would come in with little money, but desperately needed something to defend themselves and their loved ones with from the grimm and wildlife. Ruby would craft them what they needed with little to no cost. Sometimes Blake thought this was foolish. She needed to make a living and basically giving away long hours of work was counterproductive. Life wasn't a fairy tale and she hoped after this ordeal Ruby would realize that. Yet here she is, worried over if she'd have to get her hands bloodied to save her sister.

"No. We won't have to do anything like that." Blake finally said. "But if it were to save Yang, wouldn't you?"

Ruby paused her sprinkling of salt over the roasting food. "I want to say yes because she's my sister and I love her. But I'm not sure if I could take someone else's life, especially one who hasn't done anything wrong, to save my sister. I'm glad we don't have to though." She sighed in relief.

Blake frowned. The information passed to her by her friend definitely said **'dead or alive.'** Which she found strange, but she trusted her contact. She wasn't about to tell that to Ruby though. "I don't think treating Faunus terribly counts as doing nothing wrong. If I absolutely had to, especially from someone of her upbringing and culture, I would. She has the power to influence her people to do awful things to faunus, and to people...but no, we aren't going to harm her." She said flatly. 

"I guess I can understand that. It must be rough watching your friends and people get treated so poorly. Though if she does have all this influence she could use it to help? At least there's a chance in that to bring equality. Life is very valuable. Plus no one gets hurt!" She basically sang the last part.

Narrowing her eyes through the mask Blake's voice took on a sharp edge. "We're talking in 'what ifs' but what we are actually doing is capturing her, bringing her back and collecting our money to help Yang. That's it."

The silence between the two that followed was slightly unsettling and very uncomfortable. Being in the occupation that Blake was in left her more desensitized to death and killing. She wasn't proud of it, but she did get awful people off the streets and it put food on the table. Part of her wished she could have Ruby's childlike wonder to the world, but the other part, the more logical side said it would be a waste of time.

Blake took in a deep breath before taking off her mask and setting it beside her. "I'm sorry. This job comes with a lot of baggage..I didn't mean to-" she was cut off when something was shoved in her face.

Ruby held out a stick with pieces of hot meat. "It's okay. Yang tells me stories of your missions. I try not to rule out certain people's lives so quickly, okay?" She offered a smile.

In return Blake smiled and took the offered food.

"Okay. But speaking of stories, I'm interested in the one around your metal leg." 

A light and cheery laugh escaped Ruby's lips. "Okay! I was with a new friend back in Vale years ago, we were walking through the woods and just talking really, then I guess we got too close to some Ursa's den. It came charging at us, slashing and snarling, big teeth and all. It got my friend first, but she wasn't hurt too bad. I kicked it in the face, but then it's teeth were around my leg and shook me around. It hurt so bad but it gave her enough time to scramble away and get help. I guess. I blacked out shortly after it grabbed me. Then apparently my leg was too mangled and broken to be fixed. Then I got this cool robot leg!" She extended said leg and pulled up the pant leg to show off the shiny silver metal.

It was quite impressive, Blake thought. That someone so young as Ruby was then to basically use herself as bait to save someone else. But. That's Ruby for you. "And your friend? Is she okay?" Blake asked.

" 'Ot shure." Ruby replied around a mouth full of food. She swallowed before continuing. "Her family left soon after. I never saw her again. I hope she's doing okay. But I definitely don't regret it. I'd do it again if I had to. Like I said. Life is valuable." She smiled, a real and honest genuine smile.

Blake stared at Ruby for a bit and nodded, a small smile on her face too.

"One things for sure. I respect chew toys for dogs a lot more now! They're all so brave, giving up their lives so other object have a chance." Ruby sniffed and wiped away an imaginary tear.

To this, Blake laughed. Even if Ruby could be childlike in her demeanor, she was a breath of fresh air in dark times. "Alright. Well I'm going to eat then head to bed. We have loads of ground to cover tomorrow."

"Right!"

The silence that followed after was comfortable and warm. And Blake supposed she had some things to think about.


	4. Kill or Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blake and Ruby encounter their runaway.

Tracking this Princess was a lot harder than Blake originally thought it would be. She figured because this girl lived a cushiony life she wouldn't know how to cover her tracks or keep herself under the radar..or..as low as she could. The trademark white hair really seemed to give her away, as many people recognized the description by hair alone.

Blake had to give her props. She was surprisingly crafty when covering for herself. Some of her footprints were so light Blake wondered if she was really that light or just gliding. She always left each place spotless before departing. The only thing tying the princess to each location were the multiple confirmed sightings, yet sometimes even that was hard to get out of people. She figured they were bribed not to tell, but when you're staring down the barrel of a sniper scythe people start talking. As frustrating as this whole endeavor was Blake found it oddly entertaining. It was a game really. A game of cat and mouse. She just hoped this mouse wasn't like the mouse from the Tim and Barry cartoons she used to watch. This would make things much more difficult if it were. But either way. Blake tipped her metaphorical hat to this surprisingly competent princess. She was pretty good at this game. Not better than Blake though, obviously as Blake was eyeing her prey from under her mask a few people behind the runaway. She noticed that the princess was wearing an old brown cloak, one that hid her weapon Blake knew she had, and what she guessed was an attempt to hide her hair. 'She's learning.' Blake thought with an amused grin. It didn't matter now though. She was slowly closing in when the cloaked woman stopped. This caused Blake to put on her breaks, and for a moment she swore everything froze still. Had she been caught? Was she following too closely? For too long? Whatever her next thought was had been ripped away by a blast of wind. The spot where her target was supposed to be was gone, and suddenly she was already tearing down the street, white glyphs trailing before and after her.

"Shit." Blake cursed before looking up at the rooftops. "Ruby!"

"I'm on it!" She shouted, her voice rose a little. This was exciting. She hadn't been out in action for a good while. There was another blast of wind, this time rose petals trailing behind a red figure. She jumped from rooftop to rooftop before jumping down onto the cold streets below, right on the target's tail. A quick hand reached behind her red cloak and took out a folded Crescent Rose. Quick rapid fire shots were hitting the ground at alarming rates to slow down their bounty. But the white glyphs seemed to anticipate every shot and helped guide the user around the shower of bullets. Ruby ducked just in time to avoid a bright hot slash of fire directed at her. Silver eyes widened as she threw a look over her shoulder. "Dust! She's using dust!" She called to Blake, then dodged to just narrowly miss another heat wave to the face. Ruby unfolded crescent Rose, sped beside her, and threw the back end of the blade at the back of the cloaked woman's legs. Yet this girl had the gall to avoid her precious weapon with an elegant forward flip then twist mid-air to shoot out ice spears at her attacker. Ruby dropped and slid underneath the ice then rolled forward to right herself up again while Blake vaulted over the wall of spears that just stuck fast in the ground. With a quick burst of speed the red cloaked reaper smacked the airborne woman before she landed with the back end of her weapon. Ruby just needed to wound or tire the princess out, severely hurting her wasn't in the plan. Blake sped forward as the princess stood from the spot she landed in.

"We have to rush her out of here! There's too many people who could get hurt!" Blake called. She unsheathed Gambol Shroud and threw the gun blade at their target. The attempt was deflected with the long silver weapon the princess had. In another burst of speed and glyphs she was gone. The trail lead to the exit of the town, and was leading towards the woods.

"Ooohh no you don't!" Ruby shouted, speeding forward again. She appeared in front of the entrance to the snow covered woods, holding her scythe out in front of her, blocking the path.

Ruby saw the woman skid to a halt. She couldn't see her face, but she could just feel the powerful angry stare she was giving off. Puffs of breath curled and dissipated into the cold air. For a moment the two just stood their ground, each of them contemplating what their next action would be. Ruby could see a black figure race towards them and smirked before speeding forward.

Slightly caught off guard, this cloaked figure was only able to put up her weapon in defense before Crescent Rose slammed into it, Blake's Gambol Shroud also striking from behind before the two sped forward. There was a sudden stop and turn before the action was repeated again, and a third time. Although on the fourth turn the princess held her ground and plunged silver into the snow. A ring of jagged ice erupted from the ground to protect its master. In a split second a clone was dissolving into nothing as the real Blake had jumped back.

With the momentum Ruby had gathered she cleared ice spikes but was met with a sharp pain in her arm as white assaulted her vision. White wings flapped while white talons scratched and tore up Ruby's right side. Her arm stung but her aura took most of the hits. Her pant leg had tears in it too, revealing glimpses of a shiny silver leg. With a wild swing of her scythe the birds vanished and Ruby plummeted to the ground. When she looked up she saw Blake, a white Beowulf, and the cloaked woman fighting it out. Blake's clones were vanishing left and right as she struggled to gain the upper hand against the two attackers. Thick white claws tore across Blake's face. The mask that covered her eyes took the hit well enough and she fell back with a groan. At the opportunity the Beowulf jumped at the downed cat faunus only to be cleaved in half by a large red scythe.

"Blake! Are you okay!?" She shouted, deflecting more ice dust with her blade.

It took a moment before Blake stood, slightly dazed. Looking up she put her hand up to her mask and felt the deep groves now across it, along with the crack that ran across one of the eyes and down to the partially covered nose. Gritting her teeth she shot up and rushed forward. Blake's blade took on some serious speed with her heightened anger. Her relentless attacks made their target stumble and struggle to deflect and counter every hit. Blake was using more force than necessary but she didn't care. She knew what  _her_  mission was.

"Wait! Blake!" Ruby called in warning.

In her blind anger she never heard Ruby, then over reached in her attack and was forced roughly away by a glyph. Snow kicked up as Blake skidded across the field. When she leaned forward to race back a sturdy, thick ice wall blocked her path. She turned to go around it but was quickly met with another wall, then two more shot up from the ground. Finally, the last wall closed above her and trapped Blake in a cold ice box. Ears beneath her bow flattened against her skull and the side of her fist met hard ice. "Damn it!"

That just left two figures standing out in the cold. Ruby could hear the other's rapid breathing and slight slump to her posture. She was getting tired. Good. "Listen.." Ruby started, she took a few steps forward with Crescent Rose at the ready. "You're tired and you need to go home. Your family probably really misses you and wants to make-" whatever Ruby was going to say was cut off by cold and sharp laughter.

"You know absolutely nothing do you!?" The hooded figure snapped. She straightened her posture but the hood still covered her eyes, although it's not like Ruby could really see her from this distance anyway. If the princess was going to elaborate on her comment it never came. She readied her blade just below her eye level. The air was tense between the two of them. Ruby's hands gripped tightly around her weapon and she readied it behind her to speed off. Ruby suddenly found her mind being swarmed with questions. What did she know? Blake had told her what she wanted to know right? Of course, her and Blake had been friends for years. There's no reason why she wouldn't tell Ruby everything she knew. When Ruby thought back though she did recall some pretty vague answers and was met with some harsh words if she prodded too far. With her mind distracted Ruby had barely enough time to block a swipe of steel, followed by a series of jabs. Some hit their marks and Ruby winced at the pain and cuts she knew were forming. That didn't stop her though. When she pulled herself out of more defensive maneuvers she once again swung the back end of her blade around her and at the brown cloak in front of her. There was a graceful jump, and suddenly Ruby felt a weight on her blade she was struggling to keep up to prevent herself from toppling over. The dust wielder jumped up and off the blade, successfully throwing Ruby off balance to stumble backward. With a huge opening silver eyes widened as ice spears stuck into her cloak and clothing. The huge scythe fell from her slackened grip, ice pinning her in place on the ground. Ruby also found herself staring at pointed silver that was much too close to her neck to be comfortable.

"I'm not going back there. Not yet at least." Mumbled the runaway.

Ruby watched as a finger curled around the trigger and she started squirming to get free. What she heard was a dry click and a surprised "what!?" from above her. Perhaps her dust cartridges were spent or something. Ruby didn't know, but it gave her more time to escape. She looked down to find her metal leg close to the feet of the princess. Tapping into her semblance Ruby gave herself a push, breaking the ice, and simultaneously sweeping the cloaked woman's feet right out from underneath her. She fell back into the snow while Ruby rolled away and picked up Crescent Rose. There was shuffling before her and when Ruby looked up her eyes were as wide as discs and her jaw hung open. The hood from before had fallen back and gathered snow in the pocket, effectively leaving the princess' face exposed to show clear, bright blue eyes and a scar running down and over one of them.

"W-Weiss!?" Ruby cried, shocked and in disbelief. She blinked once, twice, even a third time! Yet she was still there. With the hood gone Weiss could gaze at the woman before her much more clearly. She immediately noticed her silver eyes, and second, the replacement for her leg.

"Ruby!?" She shrieked.

Said girl was swimming with emotions that all showed on her face. Surprise was first, then confusion, then happiness, back to confusion, then fear when she heard a gunshot followed by a sharp wail of pain. Weiss leaned forward and clutched her arm, blood quickly started to slip between her fingers. Mortified, Ruby looked back to see Blake almost freed from her prison. Gambol Shroud rested in her hand, the barrel present from the blade folded back and locked into place. There was a scowl on her face as she wrestled her way free from the ice.

"Ruby! Get her!" She barked.

Uncertain eyes traveled back to where Weiss was standing, only to find the spot now empty. Drops of crimson left a trail behind her and Ruby's brows just pinched up tighter in worry.

"We weren't supposed to hurt her like that, Blake." Ruby sighed in disappointment.

She ran over and helped Blake out the rest of the way from her prison, but instead of a thank you or a smile she was met with a frown and a glare.

"She was right there Ruby! You could have captured her!" Blake growled.

"Blake, I know you want to help Yang but you could have killed her! We won't get paid if she's dead! What even was that!?" Ruby questioned.

Blake just shook her head and started towards the woods. "It doesn't matter right now. We need to catch her while she's weak."

A firm grip tightened around Blake's wrist. "She's not going far. We really should go back into town, grab some food and rest up." Ruby said, her voice not demanding, but highly suggesting that they head back. For a long moment Blake just stood there glaring out into the woods. "Fine." She relented, removing her wrist from Ruby's hold then started back.

Ruby looked back to where Weiss ran off to. Silver eyes were filled with concern. She really really hoped Weiss would be okay.

\---

Later that evening, within the privacy of a motel room, Blake pulled out her scroll. She quickly typed up a message to her contact that read;

_Target wounded. Kill or capture?"_

Her thumb hovered over the send button, contemplating whether she should ask such a horrible question. Or perhaps it wasn't so much the question but what she knew the answer would be. Her talk with Ruby had helped her sort out some things. But the problem she had wouldn't be so easily dealt with. After all. Life wasn't a fairy tale.

She hit send. 


	5. Drinks and Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby questions Blake's behavior and wants some answers.

The door slammed roughly against the frame and for a brief moment shook the room. It was apparent that whomever entered the room was pissed.

Blake stomped over to Ruby's bed and tossed the sleeping girl her travel bag not so gently. It smacked Ruby square in the face and she nearly fell off the bed.  
"Ow! Hey!" Ruby cried and rubbed her cheek. It took a moment before the hazy vision of sleep wore off and she stared at her assailant.  
"Blake! What was that for!?"

"Get up. We're going out and looking for our target." Blake coldly said.

Ruby shook her head. "Her name is Weiss. And we should look for her to help her. Not capture her."

Blake's ears pitched forward and her eyes narrowed at her through the slits in her mask. "So you don't want to capture her and save Yang anymore?" She accused.

Ruby quickly stood up and put her hands up in defense. "What? No I didn't say that! You shot her Blake! She's bleeding and hurt. What we need to do is make sure she's okay before we do anything else!"

"We're wasting time! The longer we take catching her the less time Yang has. Why am I more concerned with her life than her own sister?" Blake snapped.

Ruby felt her skin prickle in annoyance.  
"Of course I care about her! But Weiss is my friend too, and she said some things that we should pay attention to. Blake, you're not..you haven't been acting like yourself!" She lowered her voice before sighing.  
"Is there something wrong? I know how much you love Yang. I do too. But you almost killed Weiss. If we do end up catching her and decide to bring her back we'll have to bring her back alive to get our money." Ruby tried to reason.

There were so many things Blake just wanted to yell at Ruby. Tell her that in life you have to make hard sacrifices in order to save the people you love.  
Blake turned on her heel and started towards the door.

"Hey wait! Where are you going!?" Ruby called.

"For a drink!" Then the door slammed for the second time, making Ruby sigh and start to get ready for the day.

 

* * *

 

Blake pushed open the doors to the bar and stomped in. Her gaze fixated on the collection of bottles stored behind the bar counter. The cushioned stool made a creaking noise when she sat, altering the bartenders to her presence; that is if the hard glares hadn't already.  
"Black Magic." She ordered.

The shimmering dark drink was placed in front of her and she took a sip, then a swig, then the glass was empty. Blake ordered another but this time drank it much more slowly.

Everything sucked.

Her best friend..her partner was dying and she was trying so desperately to save her. Ruby found out who the princess was and is making the mission complicated. But the worst of all it was what she knew she had to do. And If Blake didn't she would probably be found at the bottom of a lake with cinder blocks tied around her. Or have many tiny holes in every part of her body, or just one big one. There were endless possibilities.  
The weight of this mission was starting to really take a toll on her. She pulled out her scroll and found no new messages. But she knew the mindset behind the screen and grimaced. There were so many terrible people in the world.

Herself included.

There was shuffling beside her and a soft thud. "Ruby Duchess, please." Came a soft voice beside her.

Blake sighed. "What do you want, Ruby?"

There was nothing but the clinking of glasses and soft banter from the patrons around them before Ruby spoke up.  
"I just wanted to make sure you're okay..I'd like to talk to you."

It was Blake's turn to stay silent and think things over in her head. Another sigh escaped Blake's lips before she took another swig of her drink, took off her mask, then set it down. "What do you want to know?"

Ruby smiled and leaned forward slightly.  
"Okay well..why are you trying to kill Weiss?"

"I can't really say, at first it wasn't my intention but..things change." She answered vaguely.

"What changed?"

"Orders that I know will come.."

"From who?"

"People."

"Blake." Ruby groaned. At that moment the bartender set down a bright red drink in front of Ruby, but her eyes never left Blake.  
Blake stared down into her own drink.

"My contact isn't a very nice person. I didn't find the mission myself. He found it and then passed the information along to me...with some strings attached." She sighed.

"Well what kind of strings?" Ruby prodded.

"That if I don't do this..then more people will die."

Ruby coughed on her drink and quickly cleaned up her mess.  
"What? Like who?"

"Yang for starters. I have reason to believe the entire Schnee family, myself, and probably even you for interfering."

"Blake..w-who is your contact?" Ruby shakily asked.

Blake glared into her drink.  
"Adam Taurus."

"The crazy faunus guy!?" She shrieked.

"Misunderstood..but after these orders that I know will come. Yeah..crazy."

"Wow Blake..so if you don't do what he says Yang will die?" Ruby hated where this was going. Weiss was her friend and she just found her after so many years apart. And now she might have to watch her die just to save Yang. Yang, her sister, who seemed at a double risk for dying after hearing this."

"I trusted him at the beginning of this mission. But after he threatened to kill Yang himself I had to realize some things that I didn't really want to. He promised to everyone equality for faunus. This mission was his stepping stone to that goal. Kill the heiress and then strike when her family is grieving."

The red drink Ruby was holding was set down and Ruby looked to the side in thought. She knew this must be really hard for Blake. This man was forcing her to do some terrible acts. And if she didn't follow through she and Yang would die..and probably herself included! It was a lot to take in.  
"Why didn't you tell me before?"

Cat ears visibly recoiled with a matching grimace. "At first it was just the simple capture and return mission. But then he changed some things on me. He knows how much I love Yang and is using it against me. I thought you would leave if I told you. And that you'd think of me as how everyone else sees faunus, just tools and killing machines."

Ruby shook her head. "No Blake, of course not. You're just..being forced to do something terrible." She reasoned.  
"Can we just capture her first and then figure out what we're going to do? Things may seem bad but I know we can work things out. Why not fake her death or something? And if her father is paying for the capture and return, what is Adam offering you for killing Weiss??"

Blake's grip around her glass tightened.  
"No. He wants her heart delivered in a box to him. Like some sick trophy. He has a secret account set up for me. Once the mission is done I get the code. The issue is Ruby..if we capture her and deliver her to her father we get paid. But Adam will come after us and kill everyone anyway. Unless there's a damn good reason why I shouldn't kill her then I have to go through with this. I have to protect you all. You're family."

"We can protect ours-"

"No..not from him."

Ruby was silent for a long moment.   
"Blake..can we please just capture her THEN figure out what to do? Maybe all three of us can think up of something. We haven't even heard her side of the story. Give her a chance to defend her own life."

Blake really didn't like the idea of wasting time. But finally, she nodded.  
"Okay."

The corners of Ruby's mouth tilted upward in a huge smile. She lunged and grabbed Blake in a huge hug. Catching and waiting wasn't what Ruby really wanted, but she figured now there was time to think of a plan. Blake still seemed set on ending Weiss' life, but Ruby was going to try and give Blake that really damn good reason as to why she shouldn't. Ruby desperately hoped Weiss would help with that.  
"Thanks." She whispered softly.  
In an instant she held her drink out to Blake, who tapped it with her own in a silent promise. For now, they capture. Not kill.

Something told Blake, some feeling or other unknown power just screamed at her;

You're fucked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay. I try to upload every few days but this one was hard to write. I wanted to make it feel like Blake's actions were justifiable. I didn't want to write her off as a flat out murderer.  
> So I HOPE this reason is good enough to understand why she's been acting so strange.


	6. Capture

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss is caught, and is rather grumpy about her company. Her and Ruby talk a bit about their past.

The bitter cold cut across their faces, leaving cheeks and noses raw and eyes irritated. It was getting warmer in Vale but it was still freezing in Atlas. Ruby thought she had been prepared for it, but even with her hood up, thick coat and pants she was still freezing.  
Blake was cold, but she didn't show it as clearly as Ruby did. She hugged her coat closer to her chest and kept her eyes fixed ahead of her.  
A light snow was falling as they trekked through the woods. The two were headed towards the thin trail of smoke that rose into the sky. It had to be Weiss. There was no way it could be anyone else. No sane person would run off into the woods in the cold like this. Or, an incredibly scared individual.

The trees started to thin out and opened up to a small clearing with cabins scattered around the area. Scratches and claw marks scarred most of the cabin's exterior. Some doors had been smashed to splinters, windows were shattered and walls were torn apart. Ruby stared at the scene before her and frowned. She looked to Blake, who had the same solemn expression as she did. There was a silent understanding between the two of them. Grimm.  
Those sad feelings didn't linger too long. The pair saw where the smoke trail began and Ruby visibly beamed. She was about to blast off with explosive energy before Blake grabbed her hood and gave her a look. Even if Weiss was hurt they had to be cautious.  
The two brought out their weapons and stalked towards the only cabin that seemed to show any signs of life. Said cabin looked just as ragged and worn as the rest of them, but emitting a slight warmth.  
Ruby looked to Blake and nodded once. She inched the door open slowly and peeked through the crack. There was a faint orange glow that highlighted the room, and a pale figure that was lying on their side and facing the fire. When Ruby spotted the long white hair surrounded by small pools of dried blood, she burst in.  
"Weiss!" She cried, immediately dropping her weapon then sliding on her knees to the older woman. Ruby was instantly worried when there was no response. Silver eyes flicked to the dimming fire before shooting over at Blake. Said cat faunus understood and disappeared out of sight.  
Ruby quickly took off her cloak and wrapped Weiss up in it before holding her close to her chest.

Weiss was freezing. Ruby swore if she wasn't looking at a person she thought she was holding a block of ice. Concerned eyes traveled over Weiss' form, checking for any more cuts and bruises. Luckily there weren't any new ones. Her eyes fell to the bullet wound and she winced. Blood caked the clothing around it. The wound looked like it had been treated in some way. But it would still require professional medical attention. Finally, worried silver stopped on the scar over Weiss' eye. For a brief moment Ruby wondered if it even impacted her vision, but was interrupted when Weiss shivered.  
Instinctively she held Weiss closer, trying to warm her up. The princess herself didn't wake, but she did shift slightly closer to the human heater that was Ruby. A small smile formed on Ruby's face. Things were gonna be okay...for now.

When Blake came back with a handful of firewood she saw the two snuggled up next to the dying fire. She walked around them to find Ruby's head hung low with the tips of her hair brushing the pale princess' face, asleep.  
Not wanting to disturb them, she moved to place some wood in the fire and the rest next to the fireplace for later. Blake pulled up a chair closer to the growing heat source and waited.

* * *

 

When ice blue finally cracked open they were met with fuzzy vision. They squinted at first, then blinked to clear away the haze. What they didn't expect was the face of a long lost friend, Ruby Rose.

She screamed.

"Hey!" She pushed off Ruby with her good arm. "What do you think you're doing!?"

Ruby's head immediately snapped up and she winced, then shot her hand to the back of her neck.  
"Ow! Ow! Oh gosh! H-hey Weiss!" She grinned awkwardly and she rubbed her aching neck.  
"You were freezing! So I kinda held you until Blake got back with some firewood to make a proper fire. I think I fell asleep before she got back soooo..." she trailed off and sunk into herself as Weiss' glare tore into her.

Blake rolled her eyes.  
"Typical behavior from a spoiled princess. Not even a thank you for saving your life."

Weiss' glare quickly fell on Blake.  
"You are the reason why I was in danger in the first place!" Her arm snapped up to point an accusing finger at Blake but she instantly recoiled and held her left arm with a wince.  
Noticing how her actions must have looked she quickly schooled her features to her indifferent mask. Ruby frowned at this. She shifted forward and gently tapped Weiss' arm. The princess jerked away.

"Don't." She warned. Unfortunately this didn't dis way Ruby from inching closer.

"Weiss. I at least need to wrap it properly before we take you to get you some help."

"Why would you want to help me?"

"Because..we're friends? I don't want to see you hurt like this."

Weiss' eyes narrowed at Ruby to silently analyze her expression for any sign of mistrust. When she couldn't find any she looked away then held out her arm. Ruby smiled gratefully at her before slowly lifting up her sleeve and carefully pulling the bloodied fabric over the wound. She slid her travel pack off of her back and then got to work. She did as best as she could to disinfect and treat what she could without causing serious pain.

To this, Weiss was silently thankful for Ruby's featherlight touch. It made Weiss wonder what experiences Ruby had gone through to be able to treat wounds so well. But she didn't ask and let Ruby wind the gauze around her arm and tape it down. With the same careful touch, Ruby slid the sleeve back down Weiss' arm and smiled brightly.  
"There! All done! We'll have to change it every so often until we can get you proper help. But this should hold good enough!"  
She cheered.  
Weiss nodded. She wasn't happy that she was going to be taken somewhere to be treated. She felt fine on her own. Though she highly doubted she could fight her way out of this situation.

"Right. Thanks.." she sighed and cradled her arm with the other.  
"What now?" She asked.

Ruby looked over to Blake in silent question.  
"We should wait before going anywhere. When I was coming back from getting firewood it started snowing pretty hard." Blake spoke, voice as neutral as ever.

"Oh! In that case then I'll make us something to eat!" Ruby quickly slid over to the fire and began pulling out her cookware.

The room was eerily silent besides the crackle of the fire, sizzling of meat, and boiling of soup. It made the atmosphere very uncomfortable for two out of the three occupants. Ruby didn't seem to mind as she continued cooking, but Weiss and Blake were looking anywhere but each other.  
Finally, the silence got too much and Blake stood up, pulled out a book from her pack and walked towards another room.  
"Call when it's ready." She spoke before shutting the door behind her.

Weiss let out a sigh of relief. The tension in the room seemed to fade when Blake walked out.  
"She's not very friendly, is she?" Weiss questioned with a quirk of her brow.

Ruby just chuckled.  
"You know. If I remember correctly, you called me a dummy and other insulting names when we were younger. But Blake has her reasons to be distant and unfriendly. She's nice when you really get to know her. Like you!" Ruby turned to smile at Weiss, who just looked shocked at the compliment. She quickly frowned to hide the unscripted emotion.

"Things change..a lot has changed." Weiss looked down and was quickly lost in thought. It was true. A lot of things changed since they were younger, besides the physical appearance of course.   
Ruby noted how Weiss' eyes didn't shine like they used to, and how she tried to hide what she was feeling. What she also didn't like was when she reached out to touch Weiss, the woman would just pull away and glare. Whatever happened to Weiss growing up apparently wasn't fun.

Ruby's life may have started out upsetting but she always had Yang. She shook her head, now was not the time to be thinking about her sister. It would just bring her down and the last thing they needed was more negative emotions. While cooking she occasionally stole a few glances in Weiss' direction. At first it was just to make sure she was really there. It had been far too long since they'd last seen each other. But as Ruby kept stealing glances she noticed Weiss' eyes quickly darting away from her whenever she looked over. This made Ruby smile.

"Do you remember when we used to play those boring board games that taught you all about how to run a kingdom and balancing money?" Ruby asked

"Oh, please, they were NOT that boring. I did learn quite a bit from those games. You just treated it like a joke. It's no wonder why you lost every time we played." Weiss gave a teasing smile.

"They are games! Those are supposed to be fun! Not boring! But ANYWAY!! What about when we used to run down to the lake and try to race ducks?" Ruby asked.

"YOUR version of 'racing ducks' was to throw a large rock into the lake to get them to scatter, whichever duck made it to shore first got to get the first bite out of your chocolate chip cookie. It was never a good prize. I only tried it a few times." The princess remembered.

"Yeah and you loved it!" She smiled.

The corner of Weiss' lip tilted up ever so slightly. She did. She really did. She remembered Ruby practically shoving part of the cookie to her lips just to try it. And when she did she was assaulted by chocolate and sugar. Two things her father barely let her have. So of course when Ruby introduced her to junk food she liked it. She was a kid. What kid didn't like junk food?  
"Well. It wasn't terrible."

Laughter bounced off the walls at Weiss' statement. Ruby knew she loved it. She could remember those light blue eyes widen in surprise. Ruby figured that it was probably the first time Weiss had ever had chocolate.  
"Okay well what about-"

"Ruby." Weiss' voice was stern.

Silver eyes widened in surprise at the sudden interruption.  
"Yes? Weiss?"

"Why are you asking me all of these questions? About the past?"

"Oh, well I guessed you would be feeling a little down after everything, and I just wanted to remind you of something happy. I mean, I was happy when we were together and everything. Were you?"

Weiss stared at the floor for a long moment. She did think about the past sometimes simply because they were happy memories. But they also brought a great deal of remorse and pain.  
"Yes. I was." Her voice was gentle and her expression was rather relaxed and peaceful. But almost immediately her brows furrowed and she shook her head.  
"But things have changed, Ruby." Her voice was cold and distant, effectively ending their conversation.

Ruby sighed and just turned back to her cooking. She wondered what Weiss went through to be so..guarded and uptight. But thinking of it also just made Ruby upset because she wasn't there to help Weiss when she probably really needed a friend.  
She stirred the pot while her thoughts came to a stop.  
"It's ready!!" She called while pouring the soup into small plastic bowls.

* * *

 

When everyone was arranged around the food Ruby set on the floor for them all, the awkward silence began to creep in again. Blake, without her mask, slowly ate in silence, Ruby had a mouthful of food, and Weiss just stared at her meal. She saw Ruby prepare it, but she was still wary as to whether it would kill her or not.

"It's not poisoned." Blake spoke, not looking up from her bowl.

"I don't find that comforting coming from you." Weiss growled.

There was a long pause before Blake took in a deep breath then exhaled.  
"Ruby..please tell me how you two met. I find it hard to believe someone as kind as you, are on friendly terms with someone as rude as a Schnee." She said, stressing the end of her sentence.

Ruby, caught with her cheeks packed with food, quickly gulped down her food.  
"Well uhh. We met in Vale a long time ago. Her family was new to the neighborhood and I saw Weiss always just outside alone. So I went over every day until she stopped trying to ignore me! And you remember the story about how I got my robot leg? That was with Weiss! I just..didn't think you'd really be interested in WHO at the time, heh..  
But we were really close friends back then!"

"Yes, well, that was a horrible experience. My father was very upset with me for coming home with a bloodied eye. It was a miracle I didn't lose my vision and walked away with only a scar." Weiss added. "But that was the last straw for him. Ruby had already gotten me into a lot of dangerous situations over the two years we lived near each other. We left before I could say goodbye to her." She looked down and finally picked up her food, distracting herself from the lingering remorse she had for that day.

Ruby seemed affected by the mood change and sighed. "Yeah..but it's okay. Really Weiss. I know your dad was always pretty forceful and direct."

White brows pinched down in anger.  
"Which is exactly why I was running away from him in the first place. He's terrible! First he decided to set up a marriage proposal for me. Then we start arguing about faunus rights. After that he-"

Cat ears hidden beneath a black bow perked up. "Why would you need to argue about faunus rights?" Blake asked, genuinely curious.

Not being too happy about being cut off Weiss just rolled her eyes. "He wanted to make them work longer hours with the same pay rate. I told him what he already was doing is cruel and argued that we start treating the faunus more as equals. We would see sales in Dust go up more. The White Fang would stop attacking every week, and the world could change around us by just changing one thing." She explained.

Blake's eyes widened and she looked to Ruby, who just smiled, then back to Weiss.  
"Why would you care what happens to faunus?" She asked.

"Why would-? When I ran to get help for Ruby the first person I ran into was a faunus huntress. She could have looked at me and turned away given who my father is, but she didn't ask or think twice to help me. Without her help Ruby would have been killed and no doubt I would have been next. She even carried Ruby back to town after she fainted. I'm terribly sorry if I don't meet your expectations of a 'true Schnee.'" Weiss spat the last few words out with such venom Blake visibly recoiled.  
"In all honesty. What you've thought of me is no different in how some people think of faunus. Everyone's grouped together. Some people think faunus are just slaves and murderers. And some, apparently including you, think all Schnee's want to just make their lives worse and watch the world burn. I don't see how it even concerns you. You don't look like a faunus at all." She huffed.

With narrowed eyes Blake stood up and carefully undid the bow on her head. Fuzzy, black cat ears twitched when they met the chillier air. "I think the politics on faunus rights greatly concerns me." Blake snapped.  
Her eyes flicked to Ruby's.  
"This doesn't change my decision." She growled before stomping off into the room she had come out of a few minutes ago.

Ruby just took in a deep breath and collected Blake's bowl.  
"Things we're going so well too." She whined.

Weiss immediately felt bad, not by Blake's reaction or reveal, but because of how hurt Ruby sounded. "I'm..sorry. That was judgmental of me." She said.  
Ruby shrugged.

"It's kind of true though. She's said some mean things about you and your family since we set off on this mission. I understand her anger towards the Schnee name. But I had hoped she could see that you weren't like the others." Ruby explained.

"You put too much faith in me."

"No. I know you're a kind person Weiss. It just takes some time to get that kindness out of you. But it's worth it. Even now that we've just found each other I don't regret ever meeting you." Ruby smiled at her, and Weiss found herself looking away and trying to hide her face within Ruby's cloak she was still wearing. Weiss loved it when someone praised her for accomplishing something. But for someone to compliment her and just her alone, it felt oddly comforting if not a little weird at first. Perhaps she really wasn't a screw up like her father told her time and time again.

Ruby gathered up the bowls and silverware into a pile to be cleaned later. She added more wood to the fire and then;  
"Hey by the way. How did you learn to fight so well?" She asked.

Thankful for the distraction Weiss just smiled and she seemed to beam with pride. "Winter taught me." Was the simple answer.

The silver eye'd blacksmith just stared at Weiss with a confused look on her face.  
"How did snow and ice teach yo-"

"Not the season you dolt! My sister!" Weiss screeched.

"Oohh! Right right! Sorry!!" Ruby cried.

**Author's Note:**

> Also.  
> How the heckie do you format correctly!?


End file.
